Christopher Brown, founder of the Christopher Bean Coffee Company, has been charged with cultivation and manufacture of marijuana and possession of marijuana, an arrest report shows.

LYDA LONGASTAFF WRITER

Port Orange investigators smelled more than just roasting coffee beans inside the warehouse of a nationally known coffee company earlier this week. The scent of marijuana plants was also in the air, police said, and Christopher Brown — founder of the Christopher Bean Coffee Company — was charged with two felonies: cultivation and manufacture of marijuana and possession of marijuana over 20 grams, an arrest report shows. The discovery was made at Brown's warehouse in Port Orange where the beans of flavored coffees such as Jamaica Me Crazy, Chocolate Glazed Donut and Winter Wonderland are roasted and distributed to offices, hotels and other businesses across the country. Besides the coffee beans, the warehouse contained 59 small marijuana plants ranging in size from 4 to 8 inches high and eight full-grown plants each about 6 feet tall. Police estimated the potential street value of the seized plants at more than $50,000. When investigators questioned the 48-year-old Brown about the pot, he claimed ignorance and said the plants were found in an area his ailing father rents from him, the report shows. But another employee at the business said Brown's father, Charles Brown, has only been to the warehouse twice and both times he stayed in his car, the report states. In addition, because the marijuana was found inside a business that produces a consumer product, Port Orange police also contacted the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said Port Orange Capt. David Meyer. “I have no evidence that indicates any of the illegal material went into the ground coffee,” Meyer said. But the captain said the state was interested in inspecting the Oak Place warehouse regardless. “They (the state) sounded very interested in coming down,” Meyer said. “And I think it's going to be fairly soon.” Brown did not return calls for comment Wednesday. On its website, Christopher Bean claims to be the only coffee roaster in Volusia County and one of the oldest in Florida. Initially, the marijuana was discovered by an employee of Brown's who was at the warehouse late July 12 roasting coffee beans, the arrest report states. The worker, whose name has not been disclosed by investigators, said he noticed a light on in a hallway outside Brown's office. The man also said he noticed another light coming from a smaller room within Brown's personal gym, police said. The employee entered the small room — which he said he had no knowledge of — to turn off that light and he saw the pot plants inside, the report shows. The man stepped back and quickly took a video of the plants with his cell phone so that he could show police. He also called his wife and asked her to come to the warehouse because he wanted an additional witness, the report says. Two days later on July 14, the employee went to Port Orange police headquarters with his cellphone video. Police arrived at the warehouse at 413 Oak Place around midnight. They called Brown and asked him to meet them there, the report shows. When Brown got there, they all went inside and investigators said they could immediately smell the marijuana plants. But Brown said he did not smell marijuana, the report states. Also, Brown denied knowing anything about the marijuana plants. Brown told police that his father rents the space from him and uses the personal gym for his physical therapy. He also said he did not have a key and would retrieve that from his father, the report states. Investigators Jeffrey Wenzel and Christopher Bingham waited at the warehouse for 45 minutes for the Browns to return. But they never did. The detectives telephoned Charles Brown, but a man who answered the phone hung up on them, the report states. Once they obtained a search warrant, the investigators went back to the warehouse where they had to force the gym door open. Police found all the plants, as well as air circulators, large lamps, electric ballasts, ledgers, bottles of nutrients and an alligator clamp scale, the report states. Brown was released from the Volusia County Branch Jail on $20,000 bail Tuesday.

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